Search for one's identity/The Joy of being Filipino

[joe_alternatibo7]

For 18 years I lived in the Philippines. I went to an exclusive private school, I was taught to love my country with all my heart. But I never paid any attention to it. I used to think that my being Filipino doesn't mean anything, that it was just another "knowledge" I should at least be aware of. Then we went here in Canada. A country of "diversity". At first it was a cuture shock for me. Most of the immigrants that live here deny what they really are.

Minsan tinanong ko nanay ko kung may lahi ba kaming intsik. Sabi niya meron daw, sa "side" niya. so ako naman ginusto ko makihalubilo sa mga intsik na nakakasama ko. Ok naman sila, yung iba mabait, yung iba hindi. Yung iba ayaw makisama sakin. Hindi ako mukhang intsik. Pero madalas napagkakamalan ako ng mga ibang lahi dito na intsik daw ako. Pero ang totoo hindi ako mukhang intsik, hindi sa galit ako sa kanila pero talagang hindi ako mukhang intsik. The point is, akala ko I should focus more that I am an "asian" than a Filipino. So minsan nag register ako sa isang forum community parang ganito sa FNETS! na para sa mga asiyano; asiyano so obviously kasama tayong mga Pilipino. Nung mag log in na ako doon at inintroduce ko sarili ko, grabeng panlalait ang inabot ko sa mga intsik doon. To think na once I was proud I have chinese heritage. Pero ngayon hindi na. I'm sticking to being a Filipino. Pilipino ako. Kahit na meron pa akong lahing intsik. Kung tutuusin ang tagal na nun so hindi na siguro yun relevant ngayon. I'm 100% Pilipino! Nagkakamay pag kumakain.

Kahit na hindi masyadong marami yung mga kaibigan kong Pilipino dito sa Canada, I'm proud na ipinanganak akong Pilipino. Tayo ang lahi na hindi ni minsan nang-api ng ibang bansa, wala tayong inalipusta o inabuso. Tayong mga Pilipino masaya lang tayo na kasama natin mga kaibigan o pamilya natin. Hindi tayo mapaghangad ng mga bagay-bagay. Madali tayong makontento. Tayo lang yung lahi na marunong magsabi ng "sorry" sa kapwa natin kahit na minsan eh tayo na yung na-api. Philippines, Filipinos and Filipinas :iou:

[krayzie03]

nice.....be proud of our nationality men..

[joe_alternatibo7]

oo nga eh. walang katumbas!

[pocahonta]

(04-02-2007 11:16 AM)joe_alternatibo7 Wrote:  For 18 years I lived in the Philippines. I went to an exclusive private school, I was taught to love my country with all my heart.

Most of the immigrants that live here deny what they really are.

. The point is, akala ko I should focus more that I am an "asian" than a Filipino.

Hi Joe, welcome to Pinoy Abroad...!!!

Hmmmmm......are you trying to search for your identity as a pilipino or as an immigrant living in a foreign land ?

There is no reason for you to search for it , cause if you are born and raised in the philippines whether you are pure blood or mix blood pinoy, and you speak our language, you are a  pinoy, NO Doubt about it.

There is no denying that if white canadians look at you and they see that you are a foreigner, they will treat you as one. 

By the way, pilipinos are Asians...either way, you can call yourself asian or pilipino........Phil.is located in southeast asia so we are asians and also....our country is phil. so we are pilipinos.

I have some nice article about the philippines, I will post it now...it is a good reading history material for students....I hope they will read it...

See yah around Joe......

[pocahonta]

Southeast Asia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
click on the icon to enlarge the map

MAP OF SOUTHEAST ASIA  ------- Philippines is part of ASIA…we are located in Southeast Asia…

History Lesson: ----- Pilipinos are ASIANS  because we are located in the Southeast Asia……..Our country is the Philippines so we are called Pilipinos.  Either way, you can call yourself as Asian or Pilipino, both are correct.

Read more about the different countries, history and people of southeast asia at http://www.Wikipedia.org  ……..if most of us does not know what we are, where we are, who we are, where Phil.is located this  is a good reading history material for everyone

Philippines
Excerpts : From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Philippines (Filipino: Pilipinas/Filipinas [2]), officially the Republic of the Philippines (Republika ng Pilipinas; RP), is an island nation located in Southeast Asia, with Manila as its capital. It comprises 7,107 islands called the Philippine Archipelago, with a total land area of approximately 300,000 square kilometers or 116,000 square miles, making it the 72nd largest country by area.
Modern day Filipinos are of Austronesian stock, although there is a minority of Filipinos with Chinese, Spanish, Mexican, American, Arab, and Indian ancestry.[3]

Southeast Asia
Excerpts:  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Southeast Asia is geographically divided into two regions, namely Mainland Southeast Asia (or Indochina) and the Maritime Southeast Asia (or the Malay Archipelago Malay: Nusantara).

Mainland Southeast Asia includes all of:
Myanmar
Cambodia
Lao PDR
Thailand
Vietnam

Maritime Southeast Asia consists of:
Andaman and Nicobar Islands[citation needed]
Brunei
Christmas Island[citation needed]
Cocos (Keeling) Islands[citation needed]
East Timor
Indonesia
Malaysia
Philippines
Singapore

[d_palapuz]

We Filipinos should be proud of who are wherever, whenever....!

[pocahonta]

(04-08-2007 08:45 AM)~* DarryL *~ Wrote:  we Filipinos should be proud of who are wherever, whenever....!

We always emphasize the history, heritage, ancestry & pilipino roots to our young nieces,nephews who are born and raised here in usa, who does not speak tagalog, speaks english only and who are mixed blood or mestisos( pilipino and american;  pilipino and spanish ) 
-------we always lecture them that they should be proud of their heritage for being half pinoys even though they have never set foot to the philippines.

I am proud to say that they do acknowledge their heritage but overall, they identify themselves as AMERICAN.

Pinoys born and raised in america considered themselves americans. They think, act, talk american....because america is the country that they knew since they are born.


But for pinoys who are born and raised in the phil and immigrated here in the west should have no problem with their identity. They are definitely pinoys through and through.

[joe_alternatibo7]

Thanks for the replies and the historical info. I was born and raised in the Philippines. I'm actually proud that I'm a Filipino. But when we came here to Canada, I was exposed to the different cultures (unlike in the Philippines where it's mostly Chinese and a small %age of other asian people.) But here it's like you are in China, Korea, Vietnam etc... all at the same time coz the number of the said ethinicities are quite numerous. So there's that need to somehow, "connect" to them. So when I asked my mom once, she said that we do have Chinese blood. But that's not really the issue with me. I just realized that I shouldn't focus more on classifying myself as "Asian" (although I understand your point clearly that Filipinos also fall under the category "Asian" since we are located in Southeast Asia) but more on being defined as "Filipino". Recently, as I have written in the main post that I have "tried" to classify myself as "asian" because of all this "asian pride" going on especially abroad where asians reside (you might know what I mean, right pocahontas? ) But then, I realized that by classifying myself more as "asian", I'm not really helping myself belong, but I'm rather separating myself more. If I don't take pride in my Filipino blood, who will? If I consider myself "Chinese" and I'm not fully accepted by the Chinese community then I'd be making a fool of myself when all along the Filipino community have their arms opened wide for me, accepting me for what I really am? It's just saddening that I now take pride in being Filipino now that I am not in the Philippines, where I am not a 1st class citizen.

Nakakalungkot pero sa isang banda masaya, knowing that I am one of those Filipinos who gets to represent my home country abroad! 

[pocahonta]

(04-09-2007 03:54 AM)joe_alternatibo7 Wrote:  But when we came here to Canada, I was exposed to the different cultures (unlike in the Philippines where it's mostly Chinese and a small %age of other asian people.) But here it's like you are in China, Korea, Vietnam etc... all at the same time coz the number of the said ethinicities are quite numerous. So there's that need to somehow, "connect" to them.

I now take pride in being Filipino now that I am not in the Philippines, where I am not a 1st class citizen.

Joe...in my opinion based on your post....you are a PILIPINO...cause you are born & raised,speak our language, with mix chinese blood. Sometimes we pinoys practice prejudice & discrimination against chinese mestisos back home...and that is sad fact.

Anyways,here in states......specially in big cities....all the countries of the world are represented here, you will meet all kinds of nationalities here.

Here in California for example  is the biggest melting pot of different people from other countries  . We have Chinatown, Japantown, Italian community, Portuguese Comm, Korean town, Vietnamise Comm, Pilipino Comm, English town, Russians Org, Mexicans, Spanish, Germans, India,  All other Asian Countries, South Americas, etc.etc.

I identify myself when asked as pilipino american. Pilipino first cause i was born in PI, american for being a naturalized citizen of usa.

For pinoys born in usa.....they always identify themselves as AMERICAN...

If you know who you are and what you are....then you got no problem with your identity.

So Joe, whether you be in the phil or canada....you are a PILIPINO.
So now...you know where you belong........

Nice meeting you here Joe....and HAPPY EASTER to you, to all the FNETS members and guest of this forum........May peace be with all of us....God Bless.....

[joe_alternatibo7]

GRRRR! I wrote a long reply and accidentally pressed backspace!  :head: I will reply again tomorrow!  :head: :head: